The Alpha and the Omega
by Morbid Desires
Summary: Set 5 years after The Legend of Zorro. Alejandro is considering giving up the mask after a near death experience. Will Joaquin become the new Zorro or will he be left to myth and legend?
1. Returning Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own Zorro nor any of the recognizable characters, plots, story lines or references. The main plot and idea, however, is mine.**

**A/N: Here we are again, not Addams Family but just as cute a couple. I just couldn't let this one go, so here we are and I hope you enjoy!**

She knew it was what he had to do; she knew it was a part of him. Somehow, he seemed to connect his brother's death and his life as a younger man with the mask. He was unable to let them go and so it was with Zorro. The people no longer needed him, not really, in a way; he had done his gob too well. Still, waiting up every night, wondering he would come home, Elena could not help but to fear for the life of her husband.

She had tried leaving him once, tried repairing the Z etched into her heart, but she had failed. Alejandro had glued their family back together and Joaquin looked up to his father in a way he hadn't for many years.

Joaquin was too young to worry about his father's safety, not since he watched Alejandro win a thousand and one times as Zorro. What he didn't know was how many of those times Zorro had come to losing. How many of those times Elena had covered for him saying he was ill while he recovered.

But still, she worried so, every time that bell rang her heart beat a little faster and she held her breath to see how many times the metal chimed. She was supportive and she understood why he had to go, but she wanted to lock him up close to her and never let him leave. She was able to put on a brave face but he saw through her, she knew. It was near to one o'clock in the morning now and Elena began to fear the worst, as always when he was gone after midnight.

For all she strayed and tried to hide her feelings for this man she could not. She had been enamored from the first time she saw his masked face while she was out riding so many years ago. And then she saw him, he was riding at a full gallop toward the cave. Elena ran from the balcony where she had been waiting for him. She ran through the house to the cave where Alejandro was just coming in. She stopped in the doorway breathing heavily. He took care of his trusty stead and put his cape and mask up, revealing a stark white shirt and a handsome face beneath. When he caught sight of Elena his eyes lit up and her heart skipped a beat, how was it he still had this effect on her after all these years? A dashing smile broke across his lips and she could not keep a similar expression from gracing her features. And then she was in his arms and her mouth was pressed hard against his. They broke apart breathing deeply after a few short minutes.

"I told you not to wait up, Elena," Alejandro broke the silence first.

"I couldn't sleep, you know I never can when you go out," she said, her eyes were downcast as she recalled her previous thoughts while she was waiting for him to return.

"I know… That is why I have decided to put my mask up for good," Alejandro didn't look at her when he said it. Knowing how much this meant to both of them she placed her hand on his cheek and made him look at her. She searched his eyes for any sign that he may be lying to her but all she found there was love and concern. Why he was concerned for her she had no idea… It wasn't like she went out every night to test the fates.

"Alejandro, I know how much this mask means to you… how much you need it. Don't give it up because you are worried about me or Joaquin, we are fine. I worry, yes, but I worry more that you will not be the man I married if you give up Zorro," Elena was touched by what Alejandro was giving up for his family. For her. But she also knew that he would not be the same man, knowing that there were plenty of bad men waiting for him to rest.

"I know," Alejandro leaned into her touch then, closing his eyes and collecting the pieces of his broken heart, "But my family means much more to me and I need you more than I need that mask. You proved that to me when you left. I never want to drive you away again," It pained her husband to say these things, Elena could see it.

"Alejandro… You can't drive me away. Not ever. I love you; I have only ever loved you. That will never change. It didn't change when we were separate and it won't change now. Joaquin is almost fifteen, on his fifteenth birthday you can start training him if he wishes to follow in your footsteps. When he turns sixteen or when he is ready he can assume the mask of Zorro and then you can retire. The people may not need Zorro now, but they will again. And when they do they will have a younger, more able bodied defender. Alejandro?" Elena had been speaking of things that had been on her mind for a while. She did not want to give her child up to the life that her husband walked every night but she saw no way to stop him. He was ambitious and wanted the life of Zorro as his own. With what she suspected, what she hoped, was another child on the way she did not want the father of her baby in peril, but she saw no way to prevent it and still provide the people with a savior. But then Alejandro had begun to flinch and droop, he slowly sunk to the ground, clutching his side. When Elena made him remove his hand so she could see the issue she saw his shirt was covered in blood and his hand was as well now. With a cool mind she relieved him of his shirt to review the wound with more definition. It was not very long but it was deep, it looked as though it had just missed his lung. Carefully she lay him on the ground and retrieved the bandages and alcohol from the trunk.

She cleaned and dressed his wound with steady and expert hands. He passed out from the pain shortly after she had started. Once his cut was taken care of she went to the trunk again to replace the bandages and oil with some salts to reawaken her unconscious husband. He came to with a jerk and she soothed him into laying back down slowly. She placed the salts back in the trunk and returned to her husband. His eyes closed and he groaned slightly. Now was not the time to discuss such matters as were on her mind so instead she coaxed him to his feet and helped him to their room. There she carefully laid him on their bed and bid him sleep. The world could wait to be saved for at least one night.

**A/N: Please, please, please review! Thanks for taking your time to read it!**


	2. Surprise and Decision

**Disclaimer: Again, I own none of the characters, references or other ideas that may belong to the entertainment companies. The plot, however, is mine.**

**A/N: Hi, everybody! I've been writing an awful lot lately, which is why I've got so many stories that have been uploaded or are going to be uploaded soon. (hopefully!) Anyway, here's chapter 2, I hope you like it. Please review!**

In the morning when he woke she had already sent Joaquin off to school. He was old enough now to walk by himself, but he still needed coaxing in the morning. It was the last year they would take him; he was getting too old for the curriculum they offered. At the end of this year they would offer him higher schooling or the life of Zorro. Or that was the choice Elena was prepared to offer him. She honestly thought that he would pursue the life of Zorro whether they offered it to him or not, and without proper instruction that choice could be extremely fatal.

"Alejandro… don't you think Joaquin should be able to choose his own future?" Elena began tentatively. Wondering if he had heard anything she had said last night before the pain from his cut had reminded him it was there and caused him to fall unconscious.

Alejandro did recall her thoughts on the subject and truth be told he had been thinking the same thing for a long time now. This year when Joaquin finishes his last year of school he will have the option of moving onto a college, but he also has always wanted to be Zorro and he wanted it even more after he figured out that Zorro was his father.

"I think that we should leave it up to him," Alejandro admitted. The look of relief washed over Elena's face with an intensity that Alejandro found surprising.

"You were hoping that Joaquin would be Zorro in my place?" Alejandro asked, not sure if he was relieved as well or if he was angry.

"Yes… and no… I don't want my boy in the peril that you face every day; I don't want to clean him up like I do you so often. But… Alejandro, I am pregnant," Elena stopped there, waiting to see what her husband's reaction was. Surprise, happiness and then understanding; understanding so complete that he got up from the bed, ignoring the pain in his side, and held his beautiful wife.

"I don't want this child to grow up without a father… without knowing how much of a hero his father was," Elena buried her face in her husband's familiar and comforting chest. Alejandro held her a little tighter, realizing that she had been holding onto this for a couple of weeks at least; wondering how to tell him everything.

"Of course, I am aware of why you would feel that way, Elena… how long have you been struggling with this?" he asked, while she spoke tears had begun to fall onto her perfect cheeks, he wiped them away with a thumb and then held her close again, stroking her velvety curls.

"Oh, for probably four weeks now…" She looked up into his face and was confused and surprised and happy to see him smiling. "What?"

He kissed her full on the mouth then and twirled her around so they both fell onto the bed. "Oh, nothing," he replied.

"No, tell me," Elena laughed, curious now.

"Elena, do you have no idea of how beautiful you are?" Alejandro asked her.

Then she blushed and smiled again, looking at him through her eyelashes. Of course she knew, but she always liked it when he told her. He kissed her again and then got up to change his clothes.

"So we can talk to him tonight when he gets home from school, no?" Elena asked, getting up from the bed as well and walking over to her vanity. She was brushing her hair when she felt his arms around her.

"Of course," He whispered seductively into her ear, "Why don't you and I go out for brunch? I could use a stroll in the market to flaunt my exquisite wife to the world."

Turning she found her hands resting lightly upon his bare chest, he had neglected to put his shirt on before crossing the room to see her. Well, she was to be corrected, his shirt was on, just not buttoned. She decided to do the task for him, checking his bandages to make sure they were still clean since she had doctored them up this morning while he was still sleeping. "I would be delighted," She answered his question with a smile on her full lips.

And so, when they were both dressed and ready, they left off to brunch with a plan for when their young Joaquin came home that evening.

**A/N: Just a friendly reminder from author to author, again, please review!**


	3. An Unexpected Journey

**Disclaimer: I still do not own Zorro nor do I own any of the characters/ideas that may be recognized as part of the original Zorro movies. The plot is, as always, mine.**

**A/N: Chapter 3! I hope you enjoy it, I don't think it's as long as the others, but I needed to upload something and parts of where chapter 4 will now begin are still rocky.**

After returning home with their son in tow they all sat down together for a nice family dinner. First they decided to inform Joaquin that he was going to be a big brother. He seemed excited at the news that he was not going to be the only child in the house any longer but it was nothing compared to his joy at the other news. After Alejandro told him that he had the option of becoming Zorro, Joaquin fell out of his chair and on his way back up he almost fell down again.

"I thought your reflexes were better than that, Joaquin, or we never would have even considered giving the mask to you," Alejandro was trying and failing miserably to maintain a straight face. Elena didn't even bother; she simply smiled at the men in her life, her husband so strong and caring, and her son, trying so desperately to prove himself to his father. These next few years could be extremely interesting.

"I won't let you down, Papi, I promise," Joaquin ran over and hugged both of his parents enthusiastically. "When are we going to start training?"

"I think we will start on your birthday and, depending on how well you do, we will decide from there when you will be able to take over," Elena could see the conversation pained Alejandro slightly, but she also knew that it would have pained him even more if Joaquin had refused to fulfill his place in the line of Zorros.

"Thank you, Papi, Mum… May I be excused?" Joaquin seemed impatient to get somewhere.

"Yes, but why, son?" Alejandro asked.

"Oh… I have some homework I need to catch up on…" the boy would not look his father in the eye. And then he ran off to his room.

"Joaquin gets more and more like you every day," Elena told her husband as the pair enjoyed the evening on the balcony from their bedroom. Alejandro laughed at this,

"I was about to say he resembles you more every time I speak with him."

The couple was looking out over the landscape when they saw Moonlight and Joaquin racing away from the hacienda.

"Now where would he be going at this late hour?" Elena wondered, but before she could stop her husband he was already out the door and halfway down the hall to the stables where Tornado stayed.

"Where are you going?" The question was foolish, since she knew the answer very well.

"To see where Joaquin is going, where else?" Alejandro did not slow his stride so for Elena to catch up to him she had to run. Her skirts were so long she had to hold them up for fear they would cause her to trip and she would not be able to keep up with her fuming husband. Tired of chasing after him, she gripped his arm, forcing him to look at her.

"I will let you go, but do not do anything foolish. Simply watch. Maybe it is not what you think. Give Joaquin a chance. And be back before he leaves, I don't want him thinking we don't trust him."

"I love you, Elena… Don't wait up," Alejandro replied, kissing her on the lips before continuing his journey down to the stables.

"Never," she whispered, watching him go. Elena quickly went back to the balcony just in time to see Tornado and Alejandro gallop out from the hidden entrance and speed after her son. Joaquin was in good hands, she did not think he would get in trouble, but a mother worries.

**A/N: As always, please review! I look forward to every email I get from FanFiction and if it is a review chances are it will make my day significantly better. Thank you for your consideration!**


	4. Like Father, Like Son

**Disclaimer: *sigh* As always, I do not own the characters or ideas/references that may lead to whomever owns Zorro. The plot and anything else unrecognizable is mine.**

**A/N: Terribly sorry these are so short, I have a nasty habit of figuring things out just a little bit at a time though. I hope you enjoy my newest installment.**

Elena tried to stay up but the events of the day had made her weary and she found herself hard pressed to stay on her feet. She had one of the servants bring her a chair out to the balcony but soon enough the night chanced upon her slumping in the chair and finding it hard to keep her eyes open. And then suddenly she felt muscular limbs wrapped around her. She recognized Alejandro by his smell of horses, leather and aftershave. Reaching up she held his hands and rested her head against his hard chest.

"So? How did it go?" she was curious what Joaquin wanted to do that he couldn't ask his parents about. He had always been a major part of the family and this was the first secret thing she had ever heard of coming from her son.

"He was meeting a girl," Elena could hear the smile in Alejandro's voice. But she was puzzled.

"Why couldn't he have just asked us to go see her?" she wondered aloud, talking more to herself than she was to Alejandro.

"Because it's not just any girl… she is Esmeralda," Alejandro was still smiling… but why did that name ring a bell to Elena? She knew it, but she could not place a face to the name. Alejandro sensed her confused and so revived her memory of the child, "She is the governor's daughter."

That was when Elena remembered. They had been introduced to her at the governor's party a couple years ago. She had seemed so sheltered and it had reminded Elena of her life before Alejandro when she still believed she was the daughter of Don Rafael. He had never let her do anything without his blessing and she was kept under his thumb the first twenty years of her life. And then they had returned to California and she had seen Zorro and was intrigued from the moment their eyes met. Then her eyes met the same eyes only now they were those of Don Alejandro de la Vega, and she was captivated. She wanted to know him better but he would play two different people and it was terribly confusing for her. But none of that mattered now. The problem, it seemed, was that Joaquin had fallen for a girl much like herself.

"We should go to bed before he returns; he should be coming soon," Alejandro whispered, "If he sees we are on the balcony he may not ride in." And alas, for once, her husband was right; she let him help her to her feet and lead her into their bedroom. She changed slowly, deep in thought, and when she had finishing donning her nightgown and her other bed time rituals she slipped beneath the covers and succumbed to sleep within seconds.

**A/N: Please Review!**


	5. The Invitation

**Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the characters or ideas/references that may lead to whomever owns Zorro. The plot and anything else unrecognizable is mine.**

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to get this up, it's been really busy since I last posted a chapter. I also apologize in advance for it being so short. The next one will be longer, I promise; I just need to finish typing it up and then it will be close to ready to go.**

When Elena awoke her husband was nowhere to be found. She was not terribly worried though, she took her time getting ready. Joaquin was also nowhere to be found and Elena decided her son and her husband had gone on a walk together, they would part ways once they entered town; Joaquin off to school and Alejandro off to 'discuss business' as every wealthy Don is expected to do. Elena smiled when she recalled what they actually did and simply shook her head as a servant drew her bath.

She took her time in the warm water, soaking until it grew cold. She wasn't really very hungry and she had nothing better to do until Alejandro arrived back home. After her bath she chose her clothing with no particular care and wandered over to her vanity. She was brushing the tangles out of her damp hair when she felt his presence enter the room. Elena placed her brush on the table and turned to see her husband's gleaming face.

"What are you so happy about this morning?" Elena asked teasingly. Alejandro simply danced her around the room and bowed her into a dip with a kiss that left her head spinning. She was laughing when he finally let her up, finding his joy contagious.

" We've been invited to Esmeralda's birthday party and we are highly encouraged to bring Joaquin since the governor is looking for acceptable suitors for his daughter," Alejandro finally spilled the news and Elena had a reason for the extreme happiness she was feeling.

"And that would mean our boy is among the suitors he is considering for his daughter… when is the party?" Elena was wondering if her son had a decent suit that would fit. He was growing so much these days it was hard enough to keep simply clothes on his back, much less formal wear.

**A/N: Again, terribly sorry it took so long and that it was so short. The next chapter will hopefully be ready soon and it will definitely be a little longer to say the least. I hope you enjoyed it, even in it's brevity and I do so hope you will review on my current progress.**


	6. The Families Meet

**Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the characters or ideas/references that may lead to whomever owns Zorro. The plot and anything else unrecognizable is mine.**

**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long, I've been really busy lately and just haven't had the time to upload this next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!**

*One Month Later*

Elena put the finishing touches on her face and double checked her hair. She was fussing with her dress for the thousandth time when Alejandro startled her by speaking,

"You look beautiful, stop worrying," he told her.

"The dress won't sit properly!" she sighed, exasperated.

"I told you, you look ravishing," he said again, this time kissing her bare shoulder. She noticed his tie was not straight and so turned in his arms to straighten it for him. He smiled at her,

"What?" she asked.

"It's going to be fine," Alejandro skipped straight to what she was actually stressing about, "The governor and his wife are going to love our Joaquin."

"But what if they don't, or what if Esmeralda finds another young man she fancies more than our boy?" Elena fretted.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down. It will all be fine, I promise," Alejandro told her, holding her close to stop her fidgeting with his clothes. Joaquin came in just then and they turned to him as one.

"How do I look, Mum?" He asked, clearly a little nervous as well.

"You're a real heartbreaker, Joaquin… but your bow…" she walked swiftly to her son and adjusted his bow so it sat properly under his chin.

"There, handsome as your father," she told him with a smile, dusting off his shoulders.

"I hope I don't look near as old as him," Joaquin joked with a lopsided grin. Alejandro gave his son a stern look and took him by the shoulder,

"I look pretty good for my age I like to think," he told his offspring.

"Uh, oh, Mum, he's thinking again," Joaquin laughed and Elena joined him then. Alejandro just gave up and made for the stables. Joaquin and Elena were left to follow him, trying to maintain a semi straight face. But, alas, halfway down the hall Alejandro stopped and waited for his wife who took his offered arm when she reached him. Joaquin was left to trail behind alone. Not that he cared much, he was accustomed to it by now, it gave him time to think about what he would say to Esmeralda's parents. He hoped he would leave a good impression on them and that they would approve of their daughter's choice, even if they didn't realize it at the time they met him.

And it was this stage of deep thinking that his mind remained in throughout the entire walk to the stables and the ride to the governor's mansion. His parents were content to leave him in his world while they shared light, friendly banter back and forth the whole way. Joaquin followed politely as his parents checked in at the door and as they were making their way farther into the room Joaquin caught sight of her. She was sitting with her parents at the head of the table and as he looked at her their eyes met and a charming blush crept across her cheeks; she looked away. Joaquin felt that lopsided grin on his mouth and he couldn't seem to wipe it off. He tried not to stare at her rich curls or the way they framed her perfect face, creating an ebony picture frame. He found himself sneaking glances at her emerald gaze, when her eyes met his he found it terribly hard to breathe, but when that blush crawled across her face a smile exploded across his own.

Alejandro caught his son playing eye games with the governor's daughter and tried not to smile. He collected his wife and son and went up to the governor to introduce his family. They had arrived early enough that the line wasn't too awfully long and they were soon face to face with the governor's own family.

"Ah, Don Alejandro de la Vega, if I remember correctly?" the governor asked in a hearty tone.

"You would not be mistaken, Senior, and this is my lovely wife, Elena," he introduced his spouse first, as is it was always proper to attend to the ladies and the elders before all else. Elena curtsied and offered her hand with a smile; the governor took it and placed a delicate kiss upon her knuckles before releasing her fingers from his own. "And my son, Joaquin," Alejandro brought forth his son to be seen by the man. Joaquin bowed respectfully to his superior.

"What a fine looking family you've got there de la Vega…. Say, would you mind taking Esmeralda for a dance, Joaquin? She seems inclined to deny every man's offer tonight!" the governor laughed. Esmeralda blushed,

"I simply haven't been in the mood for dance, Papa," she retorted, looking at Joaquin through her eyelashes.

"I would be delighted to dance with the seniorita, if she be willing," Joaquin politely responded. Esmeralda's father gave her a pointed look and with a laugh she accepted Joaquin's outstretched hand and they proceeded to the dance floor.

**A/N: Feel free to review! the advice is always helpful!**


	7. Secret Reminiscences and Silent Wishes

**Disclaimer: ****As always, I do not own the characters or ideas/references that may lead to whomever owns Zorro. The plot and anything else unrecognizable is mine.**

**A/N: Sorry, it's taking so long to finish this story, when I started it I never imagined it would go this far, but thing after thing keeps popping up and I can't help myself. So please stay with me, you've hung in there this long, why stop now, right? Enjoy!**

The four adults watched the young couple leave and then the governor's wife spoke for the first time that evening,

"You have a very fine looking boy… you should be proud," she said, with a smile thrown Elena's way, a mother to mother comment.

"Thank you, we tried to raise him properly, but boys will be boys," Elena replied with a smile to match. The wife nodded her head in an understanding manner.

"I would so like it if you joined us at our table, de la Vega," the governor commented, "It seems your son is the first boy all evening my daughter has met and shown any interest at all towards. Shortly after you walked in she was impossible to get any sort of small talk out of, she was so distracted. And the entire time you were introducing your lovely wife she paid no attention to anyone but Joaquin."

"Alejandro, por favor, and we would be delighted to dine with you at your table, and I do hope you will forgive my son for capturing your daughter's attention. He was just as distracted since we walked in the door. I had to pull him out of the way of more than one waiter," Alejandro joked with the governor as he pulled a chair out for Elena and then seated himself next to her at the reserved table.

Governor Humberto turned to Alejandro after he and his wife had gotten settled, "So, Don Alejandro, how is your business going? Has anything interesting happened recently?" and so the two men got into a conversation about business and politics, leaving Elena and the governor's wife, Isabel, to keep each other company. For a while, neither woman spoke, instead they were content to watch their children waltz across the floor,

"They do make a magnificent couple, do they not?" Isabel drew Elena out of her own mind. She had been worrying as only a mother could. She hoped Joaquin would not get nervous in trying to impress Humberto and Isabel that he forgot everything Elena had taught him in manners and etiquette. She was not worried about his dance, he had always been a graceful dancer and he seemed extremely comfortable with Esmeralda, therefor she had faith that he would not falter and make a fool of himself there. But on the side of charm and formality, he seemed to be lacking profoundly in his homeward lessons. Elena only hoped that her son would not forget what she had taught him when it came time to eat dinner. Elena looked at Isabel with a smile,

"They do seem to get along sufficiently, and they are extremely pleasant to behold, if that's what you are implying to."

Isabel beamed at Elena, "It was indeed what I was alluding to."

The companions lapsed into silence for a moment as they continued watched Joaquin and Esmeralda dance. A server came around and offered wine to the new guests at the governor's table and Elena nodded her consent. After the waiter had filled her glass she took a small sip as the governor's wife asked her another question,

"Do you read often, Mrs. De la Vega?"

Elena swallowed her drink and replied, "Elena, please, and, no, I would not say often. On occasion I find a book that interests me, but more often than not I tend to get bored with novels. I am, however, quite fond of poetry."

"Oh?" Isabel asked, but, nevertheless, she never completed portraying her thought to Elena, for the waltz that was currently playing stopped and the band struck up a salsa in its place. Joaquin and Esmeralda moved to their starting positions and began the dance rather basically but it quickly escalated to a point of intimacy that was all too familiar with Elena. She watched as the dance floor cleared and people stopped to stare at the young couple lost in a world of their own. They were so passionate in their steps that Elena couldn't help but think of Alejandro and their first dance together, so many years ago at a party much like this. Cunningly she glanced at her husband and found him looking at her as well, they shared a knowing smile and continued to watch their son and the governor's daughter as they flew through the movements of the dance, improvising when they could to make it more interesting. He was twirling her now as the song came very near to the end and when the final chord struck it found its entertainers breathing heavily. Joaquin had ended the dance with a flourish and a dip that he was just letting his partner up from, the movement brought their faces very close to each other and they stayed like that for a moment until an applause broke out for their performance. They then shared a smile and took a bow together before exiting the floor and making their way back up to the reserved seating where their parents were waiting.

The night continued with conversation and dinner and more dancing. After dinner the host and hostess ushered everyone at their table back out onto the dance floor. The three couples took up positions along the marble as the band struck up a tango and the movements began. After the dance there was a lull where the musicians asked to take requests and Alejandro went up. He said something soft that Elena could not hear and returned to her with a broad smile.

"What?" she asked, curious as to what his plans were.

"You will see, Princess," was all he replied, grabbing her hand and moving her to the middle of the floor. The band struck up a salsa that was as familiar to her as her husband himself and then she knew, she couldn't contain her joy and it was obvious on her face. The world melted away and all that remained was she and him and the music that filled the air. They fell into each other's eyes and it was like the first time they danced together. It was passionate and almost crazy in the lust of their movements. Her dress would billow around them and her hair came out of her up-do but she didn't care. By the time the song came to an end the couple was breathing hard and everybody else had stopped dancing to stare. Somebody started to clap and the sound was echoed somewhere around the room and then suddenly it was everywhere and the people sitting down were standing up to applaud but Elena and Alejandro were oblivious. They were looking at each other like it was the first time they had seen the other since the first night they danced in such a similar fashion. A slow smile crept across Elena's face and an identical grin crawled across Alejandro's. Joaquin watched his parents and wished that someday him and Esmeralda would be able to do that without realizing that they already did.

"I hope someday we'll be as happy as your parents," Esmeralda whispered to Joaquin, drawing his attention back to her and away from his parent's own little world. He found that when his eyes met hers he no longer cared about how his parents felt about each other, only how much he cared about this beautiful girl beside him.

"They weren't always this happy," he stopped, thinking, and realized it was because they had been through hard times and come out victorious and with their relationship still intact that they were so happy together. "But I have to disagree with you about someday," he added, smiling down at Esmeralda, "Because I find that so far I am perfectly happy every time I am with you and I can never imagine wanting anything more."

The girl's charming blush slid up onto her cheeks and Joaquin was reminded of his mother when his father paid her a comment similar to the one he had just paid Esmeralda. _Yes_, he decided silently as he joined in on the clapping, _I hope that when we have been married for as long as my parents we are as happy as they are now._

The night continued with nothing out of the ordinary. The de la Vegas danced and socialized into the early hours of the morning, the governor and his family was a constant guide throughout the evening. Engaging Joaquin in conversation often and entertaining his parents and their other guests when they weren't. Eventually Alejandro rounded up his wife and son and led them home, realizing that they were the last to leave the party. As they were leaving he extended an invitation to the governor and his family to come dine with the de la Vega's in three weeks' time to celebrate Joaquin turning fifteen years old.

The ride home was a quiet one and once they reached their hacienda Joaquin took care of Moonlight and then went straight up to bed. Elena took her time grooming and feeding Shadow, her old mare. Alejandro stayed down in the stables with her, spending extra time in his care of Tornado and keeping a close eye on his wife. Well aware of the time she had left until his new child came, Alejandro didn't want her to over exert herself, even though it was still a ways away. When he decided she had spent enough time with her horse he gently coaxed her up the stairs and into the bedroom they shared. By now it was well after three and he could tell she was exhausted, so he helped her into her night gown and carefully laid her on her side of the bed as she was closing her eyes and falling asleep. Alejandro smiled to himself at the stubbornness of his wife as he readied himself for sleep as well and curled up next to his wife. Once his head hit the pillow he, too, fell into a deep sleep where Joaquin was grown and married and had taken on the life of Zorro and Alejandro was free to live out the rest if his days as an old man with his wife and raise his second son to be the man his first son had become.

**A/N: As always, I love reviews. So feel free to comment and critique. **


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